If you’re viewing this page on a phone or tablet, please turn to view in landscape mode, thank you. If you can’t see the list of services on the right hand side please page down for this and other events and information.

A quick summary of forthcoming events and notices around the parish and benefice

Winter service locations:

January 1st until Easter all Sunday services normally held at St Germans Priory will be held at St Luke’s, Tideford.

Until Easter all Sunday services at Hessenford are held in the Church Hall.

Details in the service listing on the right

Christmas fund raising:

The Group parish Christmas appeal raised over £1000 to help families over Christmas and as a cash donation to the Food Bank

The Christingle at Hessenford raised over £250 for the Children’s Hospice in St Austell

A great effort from our small parish! All thanks go to all who made this possible.

Benefice and Methodist Joint Service 26th January
Covenant Service with Eucharist
9 congregations of local Christians join together for a united service at Crafthole Village Hall at 10.30am followed by a bring and share lunch.
(The Methodist churches from Crafthole, St Germans and Downderry together with the Anglican Benefice churches of St Germans Group Parish with Antony and Sheviock.)

WE EXTEND A SPECIAL WELCOME to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, gay, confused, filthy rich, comfortable or dirt poor.

We extend a special welcome to wailing babies and excited toddlers.

We welcome you whether you can sing like Pavarotti or just growl quietly to yourself. You’re welcome here if you’re just browsing, just woken up or just got out of prison. We don’t care if you are more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury, or haven’t been to church since Christmas ten years ago.

We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome keep-fit mums, football dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you are having problems, are down in the dumps or don’t like ‘organised religion’. (We’re not too keen on it either!)

We offer a welcome to those who think that the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or are here because granny is visiting and wanted to come to church.

Parish Contacts

Parish Priest: Rev. Canon Lynn Parker – main point of contact for all matters

Parish Wardens: Paul Gribble and Bill Woods

Readers/Licensed Lay Ministers: Richard Laugharne, Margaret Sylvester-Thorne, David Watters

For weddings, baptisms, funerals and church services:  Rev. Canon Lynn Parker, David Watters and Margaret Sylvester-Thorne

Children’s work: Rev. Canon Lynn Parker, Evelyn Reed, David Watters and Margaret Sylvester-Thorne

Messy Church: Evelyn Reed

For buildings and general parish enquiries: the Parish Wardens:   Paul Gribble and Bill Woods

For Safeguarding:  Margaret Sylvester-Thorne

Pastoral Visitors Team:  Pat Paxton

Parish Giving Scheme:  David Watters

Finances: the Treasurer, Fiona Liddicoat

Electoral Roll: Brenda Daw

Enquiries about individual churches:

Downderry:  Andrew Pidgen

Hessenford: Fran Moore

St Germans: Richard Laugharne

Tideford: Sue Merrick

Deanery Synod Reps:  Margaret Sylvester-Thorne, David Watters and Bill Woods

PCC Members for April 2019

Sue Booth, Fiona Bristow, Yvonne Byles, Dawn Couling, Jenny Daniel, Sue Merrick, Fran Moore, Hugh Parker, Andrew Pidgen, Tim Pullin, Evelyn Reed, Rosemary Stevenson

Hire and other info on St Germans Priory Church for events:

The St Germans Priory Trust:   www.stgermanspriory.info

Hire of the Church Hall in Hessenford:   http://www.4clubs.biz/timeslot/hessenford2/

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January Thoughts from Rev Lynn

We start the New Year in the season of Epiphany. It’s all about the Wise Men searching for Jesus, and we read again the bible story about their encounter with Herod.
It’s a story we read every year and it’s probably a story we think we know quite well, but familiarity it is said breeds contempt, and especially when it comes to well known bible stories.
We know the story so well, we have heard it all before, so many times, that we no longer take in its meaning. We hear the words but often they wash over us no longer firing our imaginations and inspiring us.
So perhaps it would be good, at the start of this new year, to take a moment, and to reflect on Herod’s words to the Wise Men; he tells them to
“Go and make careful search for the child.”
The Wise Men had not yet met with Jesus, they were seeking him out for the first time, but Herod’s words are also very appropriate to those of us who have known and followed Jesus for a long time.
Do you make a careful search for the child when you are reading the bible, saying your prayers or during worship?
Do you approach personal devotion with expectation and anticipation of finding Jesus?
Just because you think you know the words or know the story; look again, read again, what is it saying to you now?
New Years are for fresh starts and new beginnings – so I pray that we will look at our faith with new eyes, and search carefully for what God wants to say to us this year, through scripture, worship and personal reflection.
“Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.”
(Isaiah 55:6)
I pray that you may find him.
New Year’s blessings

Lynn

~   News and Events in the Parish   ~

Community Lunches

The community lunches take place weekly on Wednesdays at 12 noon in St Nicolas Church, Downderry.

First lunch for 2020: Wednesday 5th February

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Coffee Morning  and Soup and Pud Lunches 2020

in aid of Parish Mission and Ministry

 Next lunch – Saturday 8th February

10.30am – 1.30pm

All in the parish and visitors are invited to coffee and lunch (home made soups) and to browse the local group and charity stalls.

No charge! Donations welcome

Charity stalls, delicious cakes and a variety of goods on sale

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Pub Theology

A chance to discuss ideas and thoughts about all matter of things theological.

After a short introduction of 5 minutes, the conversation is open.

Meet at The Eliot Arms pub St Germans, 7.30 – 9pm on the fourth Wednesday of every month.

Topics:       Stages of life: a theological perspective

January 22nd – Middle Age

February 19th – Old Age

            For any enquiries or suggestions, ring Richard Laugharne (01503-230333).   All welcome!

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Messy Church

meeting in St Germans Methodist Church

back to the THIRD Saturday of the month – all welcome!

Next session:  18th January 10.30am-12 noon

Messy Church is a form of church for children and adults that involves creativity, celebration and hospitality – it’s fun!

If you’d like to help out please speak to Evelyn or ring her on 01503 230449

Find out more at https://www.messychurch.org.uk/what-messy-church-and-isnt

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Events at St Germans Priory Church

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Details to follow….

Services in our other Benefice Churches for January

5th                               Epiphany Sunday

9.30am                        Morning Prayer                                   St Mary’s Church, Sheviock

11.15am                      Morning Prayer (BCP)                        St James the Great Church, Antony

12th                             Baptism of Christ

8am                              Communion                                        St James the Great Church, Antony

9.30am                         Communion                                        St Mary’s Church, Sheviock

19th                              2nd Sunday of Epiphany

9.30am                         Morning Prayer                                   St Mary’s Church, Sheviock

11.15am                       Morning Prayer (BCP)                         St James the Great Church, Antony

26th                            3rd Sunday of Epiphany

10.30am                       United Service with Communion         Crafthole Village Hall